LEGO contest for all ages: build a LEGO lab!

In the past couple of summers, a UK-based company called Radleys has been running an interesting contest for LEGO fans, and this year they are opening up the challenge again. Radleys make scientific glassware and laboratory instruments for industrial and academic research facilities around the world. In other words, they are scientists, and they also happen to like LEGO. In the spirit of combining LEGO and science, the contest is about building a LEGO lab. The event is open for participants from all countries, and for three age groups. The grand prize winner from each age group will receive a £150 LEGO voucher. Details below. 🙂

➡ BUILD A LEGO LAB CONTEST – OVERVIEW:It’s that time of year again. No, we’re not talking about summer, although that is great too. We’re referring to our annual LEGO competition! Ever since our first competition in 2015, we’ve been blown away by your incredible entries. So, for all those LEGO fans who missed out on the opportunity to take part before – now’s your chance. Once more, we’re asking you to build a lab entirely out of LEGO, then send us your pictures, or a video of your creation.

➡ BUILD A LEGO LAB CONTEST – AGE LEVELS: Just like in previous years, the competition is open to, and will be judged in, three separate age levels. LEVEL 1 – 10 years old and younger, LEVEL 2 – Ages 11-16, and LEVEL 3 – Over 16. (Below are pictures of the 2016 winning entries from the three levels.)

➡ BUILD A LEGO LAB CONTEST – DETAILS: Again, just like in previous years, your creation can be as big or as small as you like, but it must be built entirely out of LEGO. How you interpret this challenge is up to you, but if you really want to impress the judges, you might consider building a real laboratory filled with real scientists. Also, share about the sort of experiments your scientists are conducting. I got these tips from the detailed contest rules page, so it’s worth paying attention, especially if you want an edge in the contest.

➡ BUILD A LEGO LAB CONTEST – HOW TO ENTER: This year the entry process is a bit different, and there are three ways that you can enter the competition: You can fill in an entry form on Radleys’ website at radleys.com/lego-competition-2017, or you can enter via Radleys’ Facebook page (over 13’s only), or simply upload your pictures or a link to your video to Instagram or Twitter and use the hashtag #RadleysLego. (If you enter via Twitter or Instagram, include your age, so they can put you in the correct entry level.)

➡ BUILD A LEGO LAB CONTEST – TIMELINE: The contest closes on the 1st of September 2017, and the winner from each category will be announced on the 15th of September 2017. Radleys is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, or incomplete entries, or those not received for any reason. Winners will be notified by email. If the promoter is not able to get in contact with the winner by December 31st 2017, the prize will be forfeited and an alternative winner will be drawn. It is the winner’s responsibility to notify the promoter of any change in contact information.

➡ BUILD A LEGO LAB CONTEST – RULES: 1.) Entry must be your own creation, and not a LEGO designed kit, or a project found online, or in a magazine. 2.) Entrant warrants that the entry is original and does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party, has not been published in any medium, and has not won and previous awards or competitions. 3.) Only physical builds are accepted – no digital entries. 4.) Limit of one entry per email account. 5.) Acceptable file formats for your photo are .jpg and .png, with file sizes no larger than 10MB. 6.) The photo should only include the project, and should not include the entrant or any other individuals. 7.) Though this competition is open internationally, entries must be written in English. 8.) Parents and guardians are to submit on behalf of children aged 13 and below. Radleys reserves the right to disqualify entries from children aged 13 and below that are not submitted by a parent or guardian. (See detailed rules here.)

➡ BUILD A LEGO LAB CONTEST – PRIZE: Judging is also a bit different this year, as Radleys is letting the public vote for the winners. Entries from all the different social channels will automatically be collected and featured in a gallery on Radleys’ website, where people will be able to vote. Winners from each level who live in a country with a LEGO brand store will receive a £150 eVoucher redeemable on lego.com/[their country]. If the winner lives in a country that does not have a brand store, they will be able to select a prize of their choice from lego.com, equivalent to the value of the voucher in their own currency, which Radleys will ship to them. (Countries with a LEGO brand store: UK, Canada, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, and the USA). The prize does not have a cash value, is non-negotiable, non-transferrable, and non-refundable.

So whether you’re looking for something to do over the summer, or you simply need an excuse to flex your flair for LEGO, it’s time get your bricks out and get building! If you would like to participate, but need a bit of inspiration, you can take a look at winning entries from last year here, and the 2016 winning entries here: Fun LEGO Contest: Build a LEGO Lab!

So what do you think? How do you like this LEGO contest? Are you planning to participate? Do you have any ideas already on what you are going to build? Feel free to share in the comment section below! 😉

I remember this contest from last year. It had some very good entries. Nice that the age groups are separated out, giving everyone a fair chance. The prize is generous too. Are there any other companies who do contests like these?

Companies do hold events where LEGO is involved, but these are usually local. I sometimes get contacted about events like that, but since our readership is international, I usually don’t post about them here, but instead share them on our Facebook page. If the event is open to international participation, I will post them here under Community News. 🙂

Most companies who use LEGO, incorporate them in their local events (fairs, company celebrations, tradeshows, etc.). You should be able to find out about these via your local news channels. Contests that are open to a worldwide audience (and not held directly by the LEGO Group or an online LEGO community) are pretty rare in my experience. So yeah, this one is pretty special. 🙂

This can be a great summer project for kids. They could come up with what research they want to do, and then build it from Lego to enter the contest. I’m thinking of sharing it with parenting groups on Facebook.